Everything You Need To Know About Carve Wars!

Posted on
July 5, 2018
by
Purgatory Resort

Carve Wars, the “high octane” chainsaw carving competition series, is taking over America! The action-filled two day event starts Friday at Purgatory, with a quick carve contest and time for the competitors to work on their overall masterpieces.

We wanted to learn more about what makes Carve Wars so unique, so we interviewed Dave Hagan, the event’s production manager. He filled us in on the ins-and-outs of the competition, what you can expect when you head up to the mountain, and why it’s so important to give back to the community!

What can guests expect during Carve Wars?

Our guests are guaranteed an ”insanely unique experience!” That really sums it up. There isn’t any experience out there that delivers like the Carve Wars Experience. We are amazed at the responses and feedback we get, but on the other hand understand that our competition delivers a formula for creative entertainment unlike anything out there. Its hard to grasp until you see first hand what these artists accomplish, but when you do, “WOW” is really the easiest way people describe it. It really is a fascinating and mesmerizing experience that is sustained over two challenging days.

What is it that people love so much about Carve Wars?

The high octane raw power, coupled with the talent and hard work leaves our audiences with a first-hand experience that shows them pure American drive and creativity, in real time, right before their eyes. Our crew really grinds and people appreciate that. What WE love so much are the smiles from the children and the wonder and fascination on the faces of our audience. Everyone leaves imagining what its like to fire up a saw, with memories that will last a lifetime.

You know that Purgatory just had a fire–how are you making sure to keep the area safe & fire-free?

Safety is always our number one priority. Always. This art form is not for the foolish or faint of heart. We are trained professionals and we don’t need to take any extra precautions, because we always take them. That being said, we are trained and prepared in the event of accident and take into account individual precautions for every unique environment we perform in.

What are you doing to help the community?

We care about our communities. Our goal is to leave every one of them a little better than we found it. We are developing robust revenue streams through our Carve Wars Cares initiative to help identify, collaborate with, and contribute to organizations that bring value to the communities our audience calls home. We get to meet and work with amazing people and feel like we are part of the family even before our event. That has never been more true than for our event at Purgatory Resort and the Durango community. We will raise as much money as we can and give it to whomever the community deems is most in need. But our focus is on the community and their spirit. Our main wish is that our festival can create another opportunity for the community to come together to celebrate one another and know they are not alone. Healing takes time. If we can positively help contribute to this process in our own small way then we are truly blessed.

What’s been the most impressive carving that you’ve seen?

Our Carvers are really something. The most amazing aspect of our carver family is that they deliver new creative achievements every competition. What they are able to accomplish and how hard they work, over a grueling 2 day competition, blows us away every time. After we all experience what they do in an hour with our quick carves and then the final masterpiece carvings is truly amazing. When we line up the ‘logs of their labor’ at the main stage leading up to the auction I am always so proud of them.

This is a two day event–are you carving that entire time? When’s the best time to watch?

First, yes we are carving all day both days. Getting a glimpse of the first day’s quick carving event is really beneficial. You will get to see something beautiful created in an hour and also get to see the progress the artists are making on their masterpiece carvings. Seeing the progression of these works of art really hits home what these carvers accomplish. Then the 2nd day, leading up to the 2nd quick carve, you will experience the final stages of completion for the master carvings and then the final quick carve leading up to the award ceremony and auction. The awards and auction is the pinnacle of our event, so it’s not to be missed. When our artists are recognized and the community competes for these works of art it is really thrilling, rewarding and a lot of fun.

For a full lineup of Carve Wars events, click here. We’ll see you tomorrow!

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